How To: Fishtail Braid

Oh the fishtail braid. It’s kind of like the Holy Grail of braids. It seems so freaking impossible to do; like a technical nightmare. But I promise you, promise you, that it’s actually very easy! There are many fishtail braid tutorials, and Lord knows I’ve looked at hundreds of them as I learned how to braid my hair, but the tutorials were so hard to understand that I just couldn’t master this braid at all! Hopefully my tutorial will shed to light the aspects of this braid that have been lost by so many others, aspects that are really second nature to someone who is extremely proficient in braiding. If you are just as new to braiding as I am, this fishtail braid tutorial is totally for you.

The first thing you are going to want to do is pull your hair over to one side, then separate it into two equal sections.

Now, starting with the back section of hair, take one small piece from the very far back and pull it forward and over to your front section of hair.

Next, take a small piece of hair from the back of the front section and pull it forward, OVER the first piece of hair, to the back section.

Repeat this process of pulling a small piece of hair from the back section to the front and vice versa, but always be sure the pieces are crossing each other.

Pull your hair very tight as you make this braid. It won’t take long for you to see the braid take shape, but don’t be alarmed if it looks like a bunch of hair isn’t making it into the braid, because it is. You just have to keep pulling pieces of hair from the back of each section. It’s almost like you are wrapping your hair in a hair rope, if that makes sense?

I recommend trying this braid in front of a mirror to start, so you can easily see your progress and admire how awesome you are.
Remember to keep pulling the braid tight!

Once you make it to the end, pop in a hair tie to secure it, and then gently start to pull on the braid to loosen it up and make it nice and full looking.

Bing, bang, boom, you’re done!

I was so excited when I conquered this braid, seriously. So easy. Give this fishtail braid tutorial a try sometime, you’ll love it!
If you’re looking for more styles to conquer, check out my Simple Hair Bow Bun and my 20 Second Knotted Updo!